Traction control - on or off?

[Bignige]

Which do you prefer for your Monaro?

I have tc on the Scorp at present but since it makes enough power to struggle out of a rice pudding it matters not to be honest :D

A Monaro however is a different kettle of fish altogether.

How do you like yours?

:D

[dan_the_man]

OFF

I think if it's on and it cuts in, it knocks the power down for some time so if you are doing a traffic light GP you will have no chance once you break traction.

That said - if its wet and you are learning a new car it may save your bacon on a nasty corner !!

[monkfish1]

Mine a ute. You dont have the option, it just isn't fitted!!! Mucho sideways action

[moosepig]

These days OFF all the time, unless it's hammering it down with rain or there's sleet/snow etc.

TC won't stop you spinning the rear wheels (I did it this evening in 3rd gear on the motorway, but then I was just driving home quite enthusiastically after a 410bhp upgrade and it was raining ), it just tends to kick in if you pull away a bit sharpish on a bend. Even in the dry, even if you haven't lost traction. It's a bit brutal.

I found that tail-happiness depends more on your choice of tyre than on the TC anyway. The Bridgestones that the car was supplied with were useless in the wet, and my only moments of losing the rear end big-time came in the wet with those tyres on. Since I had Uniroyal Rainsports all round the wet weather performance has been transformed, and I can thoroughly recommend them.

As if to contradict myself I've just had F1's put on the rear - I hear they're even better, we shall see.

When I first got the Monaro I was pretty nervous about losing the rear end; it's my first rear wheel drive car. After going on the skid control course at Goodwood (recommend that to everyone too) I realised that in fact the Monaro's TC doesn't help you in that regard. If you lose the rear end, you really want to be able to control the skid, not have control taken away from you by the TC, which in any case is very slow to respond and you'll be 20-30 degrees out before it kicks you suddenly off the gas - which might not be the right thing to do. I found I was reacting faster than the TC!

You'll go through rear tyres faster with the TC off, so if you have Bridgestones fitted I suggest switching the TC off now and you can get some decent tyres sooner

[caspy]

On for a while...then OFF. Just becomes more natural to catch and hold any slides than let some mechanical device take over....more incisive.

[pomona]

OEMs traction controls are invariably on or off,and not a lot of fun.
When fitted with a variable aftermarket T/C you can have real fun in all weather conditions,especially with the torque my car develops.

[alfienoakes]

Agree with Caspy. Don't let it lull you into a false sense of security. I go round a small roundabout on the way home from work, and there is a red strip of tarmac for the cycle path round the outside which is quite slippy (shame for the cyclists :-)). On cold tyres and in the wet I can get a huge slide out of it as I leave the roundabout before the TC has a chance to react, she is a heavy old bus and once you get some momentum......
And I get the same wheelspin in a straight line on the motorway in the wet, the tyres light up for ages and the TC just ignores it, very strange.

>> Edited by alfienoakes on Thursday 25th August 09:48

[damoace]

S'gotta be "off" mate, on the topic though, a question,

Is there any binary twiddling to be done to make it default "off on start up?

I suspect the answer is No but if I can hook up a laptop, it would sure cut down on the button pushing when I leave the drive....

[Raggyman]

Wouldn't it be sweet to have the anti fun button off all the time... When I bought mine, thought it was a good idea for later resale value. Turned out to be nothing but like driving with your parents in the back seat. No fun at all.